Feeding a recording medium through a printer for printing images on the recording medium by actuating a line feeding motor in predetermined stepped increments, feeding the recording medium through the printer by a line feeding device driven by the line feeding motor, printing a image on the recording medium by a print head scanning across the recording medium and ejecting ink from nozzles, the print head having j nozzles spaced at a predetermined pixel resolution that is less than a pixel resolution printed by the printer, j being an integer number, controlling the actuating step to actuate the line feed motor in stepped increments, and controlling the j nozzles utilized in printing the image. For each stepped increment of the line feed motor, the line feeding device feeds the recording medium (m×1/n) pixels of the print head pixel resolution, where m and n are integer numbers and m is greater than n. The j nozzles that print in any one scan of the print head are controlled based on the number of increments of the line feed motor. Additionally, a print driver calculates a line skip amount and a buffer offset amount, and adjusts a starting position for storing of the image data in a print buffer in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A print driver for processing image data to be sent to a printer that prints the image data, the print driver comprising: performing rasterization, color conversion and halftone processing on the image data; storing the processed image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; calculating a line skip amount; calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing of the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
2. A print driver according to claim 1 , wherein the printer has a line feed ratio of m×1/n, where m and n are integer numbers greater than 1, m is greater than n, and the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated based on the line feed ratio.
3. An image processing method for processing image data to be sent to a printer, comprising the steps of: performing rasterization, color conversion and halftone processing on the image data; storing the processed image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; calculating a line skip amount; calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing of the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein the printer has a line feed ratio of m×1/n, where m and n are integer numbers greater than 1, m is greater than n, and the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated based on the line feed ratio.
5. Computer-executable process steps for processing image data to be sent to a printer, comprising the steps of: performing rasterization, color conversion and halftone processing on the image data; storing the processed image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; calculating a line skip amount; calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing of the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
6. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 5 , wherein the printer has a line feed ratio of m×1/n, where m and n are integer numbers greater than 1, m is greater than n, and the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated based on the line feed ratio.
7. A computer-readable medium which stores executable process steps for processing image data to be sent to a printer, the executable process steps comprising: performing rasterization, color conversion and halftone processing on the image data; storing the processed image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; calculating a line skip amount; calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing of the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
8. A computer-readable medium according to claim 7 , wherein the printer has a line feed ratio of m×1/n, where m and n are integer numbers greater than 1, m is greater than n, and the line skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated based on the line feed ratio.
9. A print driver for processing image data to be sent to a printer that prints image data on a recording medium at a print pixel resolution greater than a resolution of a print head and feeds the recording medium in units of a feed amount corresponding to (m×1/n) pixels of the print head resolution, where m and n are integer numbers and m is greater than n, the print driver comprising: generating a line of image data; determining whether at least a number of contiguous lines of image data do not include a pixel to be printed, the number of contiguous lines corresponding to the feed amount unit; and sending line skip amount information to the printer based on a result of the determining step.
10. A print driver according to claim 9 , wherein the determining step comprises: storing the line of image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; and calculating the line skip amount.
11. A print driver according to claim 10 , wherein the determining step further comprises: calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
12. Computer-executable process steps for processing image data to be sent to a printer that prints image data on a recording medium at a print pixel resolution greater than a resolution of a print head and feeds the recording medium in units of a feed amount corresponding to (m×1/n) pixels of the print head resolution, where m and n are integer numbers and m is greater than n, the process steps comprising: generating a line of image data; determining whether at least a number of contiguous lines of image data do not include a pixel to be printed, the number of contiguous lines corresponding to the feed amount unit; and sending line skip amount information to the printer based on a result of the determining step.
13. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 12 , wherein the determining step comprises: storing the line of image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; and calculating the line skip amount.
14. Computer-executable process steps according to claim 13 , wherein the determining step further comprises: calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
15. A computer-readable medium on which are stored computer-executable process steps for processing image data to be sent to a printer that prints image data on a recording medium at a print pixel resolution greater than a resolution of a print head and feeds the recording medium in units of a feed amount corresponding to (m×1/n) pixels of the print head resolution, where m and n are integer numbers and m is greater than n, the process steps comprising: generating a line of image data; determining whether at least a number of contiguous lines of image data do not include a pixel to be printed, the number of contiguous lines corresponding to the feed amount unit; and sending line skip amount information to the printer based on a result of the determining step.
16. A computer-readable medium according to claim 15 , wherein the determining step comprises: storing the line of image data in a print buffer for transmission to the printer; and calculating the line skip amount.
17. A computer-readable medium according to claim 16 , wherein the determining step further comprises: calculating a buffer offset amount; and adjusting a starting position for storing the image data in the print buffer based on a result of the calculated buffer offset amount, wherein, the skip amount and the buffer offset amount are calculated in a case where a first line of image data to be stored in the print buffer is white data.
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August 13, 2004
August 9, 2005
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